Looking to get a new back pack for archery season / hunting ?? Any suggestions Just for hauling my gear in and out of the woods, for whitetails. ( first aide kit, knives extra release, ratttling horns, and etc...) i have a game cart and or a 4 wheeler to haul the animal out of the woods.
How bout a bit more? Need it for deer or something more (elk, sheep, goats, moose, caribou) ? Planning on using it for gear or hauling meat? Looking to do any long distance packs, overnighter or for use more than just deer hunting? Lastly, what sort of budget?
For archery hunting whitetails from tree stand the best designed pack I have used and stil use is the Sitka Toolbox. Here is a link https://www.blackovis.com/sitka-tool-box
I am trying a new one this next season. I wanted something more streamlined but able to handle some weight if needed. So just got a Trophyline Platow. It's basically a waist pack with shoulder straps. With around 1000 cubic inches. It will handle everything I take on a single hunt, plus can attach my stand and sticks to it. Time will tell if it works or not. But as of now I'm very impressed with the quality and the comfort. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I snatched up the Eberlestock X2 geared towards saddle hunting. Would make a good all day stand pack too. Has a light frame in it so could haul probably medium loads if needed. It does make a little bit of crunch noise when its really cold and i would make some minor changes to a couple of the zippers but other than that it is a rock solid, quality pack. The minor flaws are tolerable. I got it for $198 from Optics Planet.
I ordered the CAYS pack. Then saw the Platow. Haven’t decided yet if I want to return and swap. My history is that too big of a pack and I carry too much stuff. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
WHITETAIL, more archery season than anything else. i have a game cart or my 4 wheeler to haul the deer out of the woods, just to carry my Sh?t in and out of the woods. budget- i dont want to pay over $300.00, but no real budget.
My thoughts on the X2 are the same as yours. The interior pocket is loud as hell when it's cold. Outside of that, it's pretty much the perfect pack for my needs. Whether I'm in the saddle or a stand, packing in a lot of stuff, or not much at all, it works great.
Do you have issues accessing the zippers that are on the pouches on waistbelt. I think i literally have a slight tear in my shoulder from trying my hardest to reach back to get ahold of the zipper. They open from back to front making them very hard to reach without taking the darn pack off, which defeats the purpose imo. I was excited to have a couple pockets that were accessible while pack was still on my back. Like i said, very satisfied with it, could use a couple tweaks though.
I'm not sure if I've ever tried getting to them while the pack is on. I typically keep anything I need while walking in my bino harness pouches. I don't think I could tell you what is even in those waist pouches right now.
I have a horn hunter system, but the day pack (I think it's the g2 now) works well for shorter hikes (1400ci, basically 1 main pouch a few pockets inside). The straps do suck if you have any weight or distance... If that's my plan, I pop the bag on the frame which also has 2 batwings and belt pockets. Out west I'll use the bigger 5000ci bag that collapse down. The whole system was like 250, but have me modularity options with out a lot of cost. I plan to switch to an exo, sg or kifaru, for heavy hauls out west, but the price is a tough pill. I looked at badlands, Eberlestok, Redhead and a few others cabelas used to carry (before they went to crap). Doing it over now, id look at the sitka apex, maybe a smaller kifaru (used), maybe the kuiu system, alps (if price was an issue)... But frankly the hip belt and shoulder straps are a big deal, if you have any weight (and/or distance). So even a non hunting option, like a Teton (cheap, but good enough) might get some consideration as I do 2-3 mile treks...
Same here, I picked my X2 up right before hunting season and I'm totally happy with it. Was using the ALPS Traverse EPS but it's extremely heavy pack even when empty for tree saddle hunting.
I’ve had my X2 for 10+ years, it’s literally been around the world with me. Those pouches on the belt are are waste if you are using the belt correctly. For my stand usage, there’s not enough organization for the small stuff. I’ve added a couple pouches to the molle and that helps. I picked up a Jim Horn fanny pack from Blacks Creek years ago and that has been my go to WT pack for 15 years. They don’t make it anymore and no one has anything close to it, so not sure what I’m going to do when it finally falls apart.
I have no idea why they quit making that particular little pack. I bought one on a closeout to try and I love the thing. If you're a strap the pack to the stand kind of guy... it works great. But how it hangs in the tree is what I like most. Makes everything easy to get to.
I'm going to be looking at a different pack for my saddle hunting ventures for next year. I'm a bit of a pack snob so I'll probably go through some before I find what I like best. That said, one thing to really look at is empty weight of the pack. If you have to haul gear a good distance in the mountains (not the flatlander sissies in the midwest) you'll understand that weight savings are important. A lot of the packs listed, while great, weight as much as the gear I typically haul in them. Take a look at Kuiu packs. They're light and very good build quality. Another option is to not even bother with a hunting specific pack. Some of the very best built packs out there for the money are Mystery Ranch packs. They aren't known as the lightest, but they'll haul anything you throw at them. They're vary popular packs with elk and mule deer hunters out west. MR builds the packs for the US military. You can find military grade packs of various designs on ebay for a fraction of the cost of "hunting" packs and I guarantee it will outlast the hunting companies offerings. I have a MR pack that I use at various times, one if I'm hauling my climber, I strap the climber to it and it carries awesome. Packs are a real personal decision though. What one person loves another hates.
Yes…the eberlestock x2 is not light. Im one of the midwestern wussies you mentioned so this isnt a concern for me personally, but i could definitely see wanting a lighter pack for more rugged terrain. Those MYstery Ranch packs are super nice.
Man I'd love to not have to climb up mountains and hollows.... haha. Going into the saddle hunting game this year, I'm debating on getting a Kuiu pack. The one weights I believe 2.5lbs and is 2200 cubic inches. I'm a minimalist in terms of what I carry. Most of my added weight comes from extra layers, jacket, etc. I'm also going to one stick climb. I think total weight for me should be around 10-12lbs on my back going into the woods. Sure beats climber or hang ons. I have a MR PopUp 38 I bought for elk hunting. Its a very good pack, little heavy, but awesome and versatile pack.
@Justin What the name of the new pack that had the channel down the middle for climbing sticks that you showcased in the ATA daily video? I thought that pack looked very interesting...
